Comments

For whatever reason, I just saw you comment posted to me. My deal on Missouri referenced Wichita St. and Drake as teams that HAD made the final four, in comparison to Missouri. So you just read it wrong.

Maybe I should have said more. I love America, but I am not summing it up, I am saying to sum it up under one flag is ridiculous. I don’t sing the national anthem, not because I don’t love my country but because it has very little to do with who I am as a person, and nor does it separate me from being akin to other people in the world.

I agree on most parts it is the best place on earth to live; except for the health care (unless you’re rich then it’s probably great.) NO I am not a liberal, and if you had to defend America like I do in debates you would be destroyed. And no I don’t want to live in fascist North Korea, anywhere in the Middle East or Russia which (like the US) also seems to be a breeding ground for national pride; not that each of those country’ s isn’t full of lovely agreeable people. Usually when a people go on about their national identity so much, there is usually some ignorance at play, maybe because no country is really that perfect, or really that separate from the rest of the worlds help.

The US is the only country where 1 in 3 houses has a flag of its own country, at every game you sing the national anthem; every shirt and every helmet has a flag. In fact anything that has space has had a flag shoved on it and what does it all really mean? You have made it so sacred that to sing the national anthem with a changed word is like blasphemy, taking offence from a harmless piece of fun. But you wouldn’t know this, because you have pledged allegiance to the flag, maybe you would stand by its every move no matter what harm it caused, no matter how little worshiping the flag everyday did to improve your life.

Watch an English soccer game, they don’t have flags on their shirts, they don’t sing the national anthem, in fact you will see that the teams are multi-cultural, and on the most part people see that their lives are better having embraced other cultures. The type of people who wave flags in England are usually those who haven’t stepped a foot outside of their own country. I only sing my national anthem when my country plays, because it’s supporting my team; something that’s far more important to my life than going on about America’s greatness every day. My country does not sum me up as a person, but my love for the world, the value of life and the sports that it plays says a little something.

I am not taking anything away from American life, or how blessed many of its freedoms are. I am saying nationalism is not a virtue, and I am saddened to see it take over so much of people’s lives.

Thanks for the response as well, I admit my first comment was mildly obnoxious but it was meant as a joke, particularly the reference to Sarah Palin (who’s behaviour and support genuinely scares me.)

I guess there is a fundamental difference in our upbringing when it comes to signing the national anthem, what we see in our flag and whether we identify with our nation. I enjoy seeing American patriotism at times, it is part of your culture and it’s an interesting phenomenon, but I honestly found the fact that people where upset by the anthem being changed really extreme. By now you may have realised I am not American, but you only need one guess as to why I support KU.

I’m sorry but I cannot believe that America will be there for any [one] individual. I had a friend in America who had cancer in her early 20s, her parents abandoned her because she had a child out of marriage and she had to become a stripper to pay for the health care and to pay for her child, no matter how much she slaved herself, her country was not there for her. She could not keep up with the costs and died a few weeks after I left Kansas. This is not an example of an individual but a collective group of individuals that get forgotten or failed by a system that doesn’t look after those who can’t look after themselves. In my country, (England) she would have got health care, her child would have been cared for and she would not have had to degrade herself to prolong her sad life. In my country we have one source of national pride and that is our National Health Service.

I would not want to fight in a war, and I think it is noble in some part that our nations have contributed to removing tyrants from countries that can’t do it themselves. I don’t blame those 4 troops for what they did but I do blame a system that pumps its own image so high that no wonder they thought this was justifiable. Stupidity and “jarhead” behaviour probably shoulder most of the blame there and if I’m honest I would not like to see how I might behave if I was putting my life on the line day in day out (and Clinton should consider that before she slates them.)

Part 2
I am not saying England is better, I guess that is partly my point, no country has a monopoly on greatness nor a monopoly on sacrifice in the fight for freedom from tyranny. Personally I would live in the US if I could; I will concede you one generalisation: Americans are probably the friendliest people I have ever met, they get on and live life and seem to have un-limited optimism. That is something I have always admired. Not to mention you have the good fortune of the greatest countryside in the world.

In England we hear the anthem three times a year and we will gladly change the words (maybe that is part of our self directed humour). I guess we like to poke fun at ourselves where as America is genuinely proud. Believe me I hear the ignorant side of anti Americanism on a regular basis and it annoys me too. I’m guessing I will not be the first and last person to be baffled and confused by Americas flag waving and the seriousness with which your anthem is frequently sung. That is something I will probably never understand but thank you for giving me a greater incite.

Anyway I will carry on enjoying American sports, NBA, NFL and of course the Jayhawks, American movies will remain my favourite, South Park a daily must and the US will stay my No.1 destination. I’m not sure what you think of a culture that finds the idea of pride in itself folly but I will continue to sing; God save our gracious Chelsea, Long live our noble Chelsea, God save our Chelsea.

Just saw your response. Ok, I missed it that you're from England. Didn't connect the Chelsea thing. A bit dense sometimes. But that explains it a bit. You don't get it. You can't get it.

I won't argue with you that the out of control health costs are an issue here. But folks do get care .. see Kansas Health Wave. And .. health care .. socialized medicine .. is the main point. It is rare instance where folks die here from lack of available health care. And it is interesting too how folks from outside of this country with socialized health care flock to the US for treatment. And how our drug companies generally dominate the world as far as advancements.

But please remember, regardless of anything else, England is no more without the United States of America, right? Nothing stops Hitler without the USA. And if by some strike of lightning Nazi Germany crumbled, the Soviet Union plows through Europe without the USA. Right? So isn't everything else moot?

We do the work around the world against evil that others are too timid to do. It must be nice to live in England, not have to really worry about defense spending and technology, knowing that another country is on the cutting edge of technology and will share it with you, and will perish saving you, if necessary. But we're glad to be of service.

Oh come on, your first two paragraphs are great but then you hit me with that historical crap, that neither you nor me have had anything to do with. Give it a break what do you expect me to say to that, do you want me to thank you for the rest of my life, does the fact that the US sent troops during world war 2 rule out the posibility of a shared or equal value of relationship, we are now eternaly unequal because we need help as human beings from other larger nations destruction, and more importantly you say that in a way that suggests we as a nation (england) just stood aside and let the US do the work. You say it as if the US was the first ever nation to ever do anything "good" if thats even possible an act as to be outlined as good, and not just a fatealistic regress of the world. have you concidered that the US is a significantly larger portion of human beings than england, larger resorses and a larger wealth. of course the US as a nation are gonna be important in world affairs, because there is no one else who can.

Another think, im guessing you see nothing wrong, or deny the possibility that within the entire history of americas forign policy, nothing could ever infact have created more harm on a nation,, that the destruction of a nations freedoms through americas actions could have ever taken place.If you want to get petty and childish and loosly nonsensical about this and start listing a series of tomtit facts about who has done the most jesus acts as a nation. Americas innocense ended when man stepped foot in America, what he did to the native Americans in order to shape a new country, and what he continued to do in to your lifetime is not something to be proud of. Also another random fact as this is how you seem to like creating arguments, American businessmen and government officials are well known to have financialy shared and propped up elements of the Nazi party, and the wealth that was created. The number of german troops in WW2 fighting the russians was something like 80%. I think if the russians had wanted to take europe they would have walked straight through the US.
Can I just ask, what is the US debt to china?